


Cufflinks

by Lunlun



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Anxiety, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, this is just me indulging tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunlun/pseuds/Lunlun
Summary: “I told you already.” Odo smiles amused as he draws Quark in. His hand at the small of Quark’s back.“Yes.” Quark says, his lips pouty as he buries his face into Odo’s shoulder. Odo huffs a laugh. “Shut up.” He mumbles against Odo with tears in his eyes.
Relationships: Odo/Quark (Star Trek)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	Cufflinks

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Soon after my first fic I present my second one  
> this one really is just very much me indulging in fluff and cute stuff  
> writing style-wise it's also quite different to the previous one so I still hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> Have fun while reading!!

It’s a wonderful day on Bajor. Quark looks around the little clearing. Trees and bushes painting a picture of the most luxurious gardens Quark has ever seen. It nearly puts Risa to shame. Only nearly though, nothing could beat the carefully crafted pleasure planet. But tell that to Odo! They were on a vacation together, a vacation Odo had promised years ago. Years ago being half a year ago. But that didn’t matter. It had _felt_ like years.

A deep sigh leaves Quark as he places the blanket he’s brought for the picknick onto the ground. Puts the basket with the food onto the blanket and sits down. His legs point away from his body, as he leans back on his hands, hums to himself as he looks at the sunlight dance through the leaves.

Odo really had outdone himself with the place. First Quark had thought they’d end up going to some detective congress for Odo to hone is skills. Or maybe end up on a boring planet, where they could only do boring things, like snoring and being bored.

Quark should’ve had a little more faith in Odo from the very start. They’ve been together for over a decade, for Exchequer’s sake! Of course, Odo would know Quark’s preference for the sun, and a soft breeze of wind.

Quark takes a deep breath. Where was Odo anyways? He had said he’d be here soon. Said something about having to find something and that Quark should go ahead. That he’d join him soon. Should Quark look for him? Then again, he looks at his watch, it’s only been five minutes. He purses his lips, shrugs. It’s not the first time for Odo to come late to a date. Quark closes his eyes, lies down, cushioning his head on his hands. Listens to the birds sing and the insects hum. The wind is whispering an unknown melody to him. It’s lovely really.

Normally Odo would tell Quark if he’d be late though. Quark clicks his tongue. It somehow reminds him of all the dates that they’ve been having over the past years. Their first one being the most… well, one could call it adventurous.

Odo was five minutes late then too, he apologized sat down and they ordered some food for Quark, because Odo doesn’t eat. Still, doesn’t eat even though Quark is sure Curzon did eat and drink when he used Odo’s body.

Quark’s ears tint red at the memory. It could be that Curzon realized Odo’s and his complicated relationship even then. Giving him a rub and kiss in public.

Quark shakes his head.

Their first date had been unspectacular at first. As weird as it sounded neither of them shot snide remarks, they talked about normal things like, work and business, when suddenly some lunatic attacked Odo.

Later Odo discovered it was a culprit Odo helped put behind a forcefield.

But during their date he was just some random guy trying to kill Quark’s boyfriend. While Quark shrieked his lungs out, Odo apprehended the guy quickly and asked Quark to calm down. Which only bore fruit ten minutes after the culprit was brought to a holding cell by Odo and their date was cut short.

Stupid maniacs and their habit to show up in the most stupid of times.

They didn’t have a repeat of that date. Instead they proceeded to barely have any dates at all. Just on very special occasions like their one year anniversary and then their five and now this one, their ten year anniversary.

 _‘I don’t eat’_ Odo would use as an excuse.

So what? Quark did. Stupid changeling, and stupid maniacs. It’s not like dates could only be related to food, right?

Quark sighs. When did Odo plan on showing up?

Quark squints his eyes open and listens to his surroundings carefully. Still no sign of Odo. He sits up and looks around as if his eyes could tell him more than his ears already did. He holds his wrist to his eyes and looks at his watch. It’s been another twenty minutes after the initial five. Trust Odo to be on point for everything but their dates.

Quark stands up and looks down at the blanket. Why did Odo even tell him to go first if he was going to be so late? He looks around. Just more trees and bushes, their pretty colors were now lost to Quark. Where the frinx was Odo? Quark clicks his tongue and then grumbles to himself.

Maybe Odo was still in the little cottage? It was a possibility that he was still searching whatever it had been that he’s searching. He was so secretive about it too.

Quark wrinkles his nose, he doesn’t like that Odo has been so secretive about it. Maybe there was something going on here. Something Quark needed to find out! So Quark does what any sane person would do, he leaves the blanket and basket on the ground just to show Odo, ‘ _hey I will be back, stretch your legs, sit down, be my guest to use what I set up.’_ And makes his way down the path to the cottage.

When he arrives he realizes soon that firstly, the door of the garden fence is wide open, which is weird considering Quark is sure he closed it behind himself when he left and he knows Odo well enough to know that he would never leave any door open like that. Secondly, the lights were on. Who lit the lights in a cottage when the sun was glaring down in the middle of noon?

“Odo?” Quark calls out as he steps closer, he nearly stumbles over the little step that leads to the garden. “Hello? Odo?” Quark closes the little door of the garden fence and then proceeds further to the little house itself.

When he stands in front of the door, he opens it slowly and then peers inside, just to be sure that there wasn’t anybody else inside. He listens carefully and when he is sure he steps inside. Closes the door behind himself softly. No need to turn into a barbarian just because you were searching someone.

The insides of the cottage were as lovely as the day they arrived. Especially in the morning and towards dawn it would turn into something out of a Bajoran folk tale. The windows were angled just right to let in the sunshine for it to bask the insides in soft tones. He turns the lights off, because it was unnecessary, and their light hurt Quark’s eyes. With the lights turned off, he realized that during noon the cottage was uncharacteristically dark. Even though light was passing through the window and there was enough light to see, it was still somewhat eerie.

Trust Odo to find the most paradoxical little house he could. Then again it wasn’t like Odo chose who owed him a favor and who didn’t.

“Odo?” Quark calls. But nobody is answering him. Where is that boyfriend of his?

He looks in the kitchen. Nothing. In the living area. Again nobody. And then finally he walks the short flight of stairs up to the bedroom. His heart beats heavily in his chest as he opens the door. He nearly expects someone to jump out of somewhere, but nothing. Nobody is inside. He listens for a moment, just to make sure there’s no sloshing of goo and no breathing from anybody else.

Only then does Quark step further inside. He sees a note on the bed. It’s scribbled in a hurry and looks a lot like Odo’s handwriting

 _‘I’m sorry, Quark.’_ it reads, _‘I’ll be back soon. You don’t need to worry.’_

Those were exactly the two sentences nobody should ever write on a piece of paper if they didn’t want someone to worry.

Why hadn’t Odo just come to him and told him himself? That’s what he’d have done normally. It wasn’t like him to leave notes behind for Quark to find. It wasn’t exactly his style.

Quark’s insides turn.

What if one of Odo’s past enemies had caught up to him again? Maybe some guy he arrested? There had been incidents like that in the past even outside of theirs first date. Quark swallows against his quickly beating heart.

What was it with today? It had started so well, with Odo waking him softly and them sharing a tender kiss or two. And then Odo had made breakfast, Quark’s favorite too. Then he’d offered picknick. But then just as they were about to leave Odo’s entire shtick had changed. Suddenly he wanted to stay behind. And, oh, wow, he’s searching something. Now this?

Quark stomps his foot and sits down on the bed. The little note crumpled in his fist. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, pouts. He’s frustrated, worried and frustrated. Odo would just get himself caught. He’s a changeling and a good detective. It needed a bit more than just some random guy to catch him.

Quark’s eyes widen when another thought crosses his mind. His hold on his own arms loosens and both his arms fall to his sides.

Maybe, maybe Odo was planning to break up. They’ve been together for ten years, that idea should be laughable. But maybe it wasn’t. People broke up even after fifty years of a working relationship.

Now that he thought about it, Odo had been awfully nice the past week. And now he disappeared suddenly, with nothing but a flimsy note? Something wasn’t right here.

Quark swallows, his heart sinks in his chest, his stomach twists into knots and he feels sick, lightheaded.

What if Odo had been so nice because he wanted to break up? And the thing he’d been searching was his parting-bribe? A well-known Ferengi tradition, otherwise females couldn’t be bought off. Some of them wailed even after getting the parting-bribe. Odo had been looking into Ferengi culture lately too.

Quark feels hot and cold as he stands up. He needs to get away from here. He releases the small note. It falls to the ground. Quark hurries out of the cottage.

If Odo couldn’t find him, he couldn’t break up with him and Quark couldn’t get hurt. His world wouldn’t crumble, and his little fairy tale would never end.

He doesn’t feel like being brave faced with the possibility.

He finds himself running through the path past the blanket and basket until he can’t run anymore. His legs can barely carry him when he stops. Panting he’s holding onto a tree. He’s sweating as he leans against it and slides down. He really wasn’t feeling good about any of this. His heart was beating like crazy, and the breakfast Odo made for him fought its way up. Quark pulls his lips into a wobbly thin line, yet he can’t keep his tears from rolling.

His watch showed him cruelly how late Odo was. An hour and a half. He was an hour and a half late.

Odo didn’t care about him at all.

Quark didn’t deserve this. Everything’s been going so well in the past ten years. They had their fights sure, but it wasn’t anything too bad. It was just teasing. Maybe if Quark was better and less himself… His lips twitch as he tries to keep them from trembling even more. Odo loved him. But maybe that was a lie Quark had told himself and Odo had never loved him, had been pretending all these years. How could Quark have thought of their relationship as secure after ten blissful years?

Odo was going to leave him, then Quark would lose all his profits and to top it off die alone in some muddy ditch.

Somewhere far off Quark hears someone call his name, this someone being the reason for his heartache. But Quark didn’t feel brave enough to come out from behind the tree. Not yet. Not ever. He didn’t want it to end.

“Quark!” Odo calls somewhere to Quark’s right. “I know you’re here somewhere.” Comes his voice much closer now.

Quark freezes at his spot. Had Odo some sort of tracker on him, how had he found him?

“Quark! Please, show yourself…”

Quark trembles as he stands up holding onto the tree. He takes a step away from the voice but to his luck he steps onto a twig that cracks into two with the loudest noise imaginable. He hears Odo hurrying over to his location. For a second Quark thinks about running away like a lobeling caught with his hand in his father’s Latinum purse but then he stays rooted to his place. Wipes furiously tears off his face.

“There you are.” Odo says with a relieved sigh as he rounds the tree. “I’ve been sear-” Odo pauses, Quark tries to hide his face. “Are you crying?”

“No?” Quark snivels. “I’m not.”

“Sure, you aren’t.” Odo sighs. “What happened?”

“Why are you breaking up with me?” Quark blurts, he looks at Odo with big eyes, his mascara smeared all over his face.

“What?” Odo squints, his head jerks back in confusion. “Why would you think that?”

“You’ve been so awfully nice. The cottage and my favorite food and then you weren’t there.” Tears well up again. “I searched you and then I was worried and then I realized you left me!”

Odo blinks at him. It feels like he’s mocking Quark. Quark is in pain! The least Odo could do was end it quickly.

“Quark…” Odo says softly, steps closer to Quark, places one of his hands on his cheek. “I’m not breaking up with you…”

“B- But the bribe.” Quark hiccups.

“Quark, I’m not breaking up with you.” This time Odo’s other hand is on Quark’s face too, his hands successfully capturing his face in a tender hold. They draw soothing circles into Quark’s skin, wipe some of the tears, smear more of his make-up. It’s disgusting and not fair at all. Why would he draw it out like this? Odo has a thoughtful look on his face before he smiles softly, the circling motions of his thumbs stop. “Can I kiss you?” He whispers the question.

Quark bites his lower lip then he nods, he could take a last kiss. He was greedy after all. He’d take everything before it ended.

Then Odo bends down, places a tender kiss on Quark’s lips. It’s not like the heated kisses they share before sex. It’s not like the kisses they shared in the cottage that morning. It’s a kiss that tingles more and Quark can feel the beginnings of a link between them. His eyes flutter closed as some calm fills his heart. Maybe Odo isn’t lying. Maybe he isn’t going to break up after ten years. Maybe Quark was enough.

Then their lips part and Quark comes crashing down to his anxious reality. He opens his eyes, they’re wide and worried. He’s waiting.

“Are you calmer?”

Quark nods if that was what Odo wanted. He wipes over his face. He’d have to wash his suit. It was ruined with all the mascara on it.

“Good.” Odo looks into Quark's fearful eyes, then his lips pull into a thin worried line. “You still don’t believe me, do you?” He asks.

Quark’s lower lip wobbles, he blinks tears away. So, what if he couldn’t really believe it? Odo had already left once in the past. He’d chosen Kira before that. Quark wasn’t really the first choice here.

Odo sighs then he removes his hands from Quark’s face, one of his hands goes to his back. While the other hangs idly by his side. “Okay, so, I was planning on doing this tonight after our date.”

Quark blinks he opens his mouth to speak but then Odo shakes his head. So Quark shuts his mouth again, listens.

“But I couldn’t find what I needed. Then I had to depart on a small errand.” Odo has a soft smile as he speaks, but then the smile drops. “Then I return, find you here and learn that I’m breaking up with you, which I’m not.” There’s a nervous little shift in Odo as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Then he says quietly. “I suppose this is as appropriate a time as any.”

Quark’s eyes widen when Odo kneels down, until he’s smaller than Quark, looks up to him. He holds the wrist that isn’t behind his back up towards Quark, he turns it in a way that his wrist points inward. Then the hand behind his back comes forward, inside his palm is a small green box. He brings that hand up to his other, until both his wrists are touching, and he presents the box between his palms to Quark. Quark doesn’t understand what Odo is doing. He doesn’t know any Ferengi custom that would have anyone begging with a box between their palms.

“Quark.” Odo says; looks at Quark from under his outstretched arms, submissive and giving. “As any time in our relationship, you have crossed my plans.” A small amused smile appears on his lips before he continues. “But I will explain what my intentions were today. I stayed behind because I was in search of this box, then I realized that I must have left it behind in the haste we were to reach the ship on time.” Odo huffs a laugh. “Even then you crossed my plans with your morning routine taking longer than usual.” Odo remarks, Quark though can’t really react apart from listening to what Odo has to say. He’s been so anxious the past hour that he cannot wait to listen to the explanation of everything.

“However, the reason the entire ordeal took so long is that I had to return to the city to be able to reach the station – if you remember, you asked me to leave my com behind.” Odo pauses and takes a little breath. “The box arrived an hour later with a ship that departed from Deep Space 9 to Bajor.” Then his eyes fix on Quark with intensity, an intensity that has Quark swallow a nervous little stutter. “I decided to use some Bajoran and Ferengi elements for this, since I couldn’t find a Ferengi equivalent to the Bajoran custom.” Odo takes a deep breath. “Quark, will you sign a marriage contract with me?”

Quark only blinks for a moment, then the explanations catch up to him and he asks, with a small voice. “So, you aren’t breaking up?”

Odo stays silent for a moment, then huffs amused. “I’m not Quark.” He stands up. The Ferengi gesture and kneeling left behind.

It was now Quark that looked up to Odo. “You love me?” Quark asks, his gaze wanders back to the small box in Odo’s hands.

“Yes, Quark.” Odo sighs. “I had these cufflinks custom made.” He opens the box carefully. Inside there’re two Latinum plated cufflinks. There’s an intricate design on each, accented with a bit of gold to highlight a small infinity symbol. “I hope you like them.”

Quark is still too dumbfounded to react further than staring. “You aren’t breaking up with me?”

“Again, no Quark.” Odo’s still holding the box. “Will you accept the proposal?”

“We’re marrying?” Quark asks.

“Yes.” Odo huffs a laugh. “If you want to that is.” He adds in a more serious tone.

Odo’s amused smile drops the second tears well up in Quark’s eyes. The Ferengi starts crying again. He looks at the cufflinks then to Odo then back to the cufflinks. Odo shakes his head as he stops closer and pulls one of Quark’s hands into his and puts the cufflinks onto his shirt. One at each sleeve.

“I hope you like them.” Odo pauses. “I think the Ferengi I bought them from was ripping me off.” He continues as he straightens Quark’s suit. “He was too pleased with himself when he left.”

Quark is still too struck to talk. He stares at the cufflinks. They are beautiful. He feels Odo put his hands on either side of Quark’s body, holding him in place.

“So, you really aren’t breaking up with me?” Quark asks again, just to be sure.

“I told you already.” Odo smiles amused as he draws Quark in. His hand at the small of Quark’s back.

“Yes.” Quark says, his lips pouty as he buries his face into Odo’s shoulder. Odo huffs a laugh. “Shut up.” He mumbles against Odo with tears in his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> comments would be cool!  
> comment add to my life - help me become an immortal!


End file.
